So turns out this is gonna be way longer than I originally thought so I'm either gonna break it down into 2 or 3 parts. But hey, at least that means more chapters for you guys, right? Anyway, a big thank you to Aquila E. Hawke who alerted me to a thief on Wattpad who had stolen my story 'Claustrophobia' and was passing it off as their own as I would never have known about this had you not told them.
Also, saw the Sonic Movie a few days ago and it was AMAZING! Am going to see it again on Thursday and highly recommend you go see it as well.
I'll stop rambling now and get to what you all came for. Enjoy Part 1 ;)
The day is tranquil, breeze gentle, the sun warm, skies clear. Tails and Cream sit making flower crowns, the young rabbit gently coaching the fox kit on how to do so while Amy, Blaze and Rouge have a sparing session. Knuckles seems content to just sit and watch the girls while Silver hover nearby, carefully watching Cream and committing her movements to memory so that he may try to create his own flower crown. Shadow is leaning against a tree, eyes closed and expression natural, calm and at peace for a rare moment. The group goes about their day, laughing and enjoying their lives and Sonic delights in it all.
He stands off to the side, green eyes sparkling as the air around him twists and turns in a merry dance, feet hovering ever so slightly off the ground so that no one will notice. Beside him, invisible to the mortal eye, a glowing orange sphear bounces around playfully, dipping into the soft air currents he is creating. He turns away from his friends, smiling fondly at the sphear, a single finger lifting to send a soft breeze at it, sending it tumbling high into the air before it slowly drifts back down to eye level. His ears flicker, catching the bell-like sound that the sphear gives off, smile growing wider.
"Glad to be of assistance Tikal." He murmurs to which the spirit gives a soft tinkling chime. Sonic closes his eyes as the sounds of the first-ever spirit wash over him.
He remembers the day he'd finally found a way to allow mortals to live on even after death. The Echidna clan that had worshipped and guarded his father's shrine for centuries had grown fearful of Chaos' powers, had decided to try and take them for themselves. He remembers Tikal, who had been a good friend since she'd been a little puggle, trying in vain to stop her tribe only to be killed for her actions. He remembers the anger and grief he'd felt as he pushed his light and desire for her to keep being into her lifeless body, thus gifting her and coincidentally every other living being a spirit and an afterlife where they could choose to move on or linger. Tikal had chosen to linger, linking herself with Chaos for thousands of years until he finally broke free and Sonic was forced to fight him to prevent the destruction of the world. Since that day, Tikal was a constant companion.
He revelled in her company, in the knowledge that she knew him for who he truly was inside and that no matter how many centuries pass she would not leave him. Era is what she will always softly whisper in his ear and he adores her for it. Movement ahead of them catches Sonic's attention, Tikal sending out soft little chimes as she focuses on Knuckles, the last descendant of her tribe and family.
"Go on then." Sonic smiles, nodding towards the echidna. While Knuckles may not be able to see Tikal he can still sense her slightly and Sonic knows it brings both of them comfort to be near their own kind. Tikal rings out happiness before rushing over to the echidna's side, Knuckles relaxing ever so slightly as his eyes drift in her general direction, never focusing on her but knowing she is near.
"Mister Sonic!" He turns at the sound of the soft voice that that reminds him so much of the language of spirits, eyes warming at the sight of Cream holding out a white flower crown for him.
"Thank you Cream." He leans down, allowing the young girl to place the crown on his head. She giggles before dashing back over to Tails to help him finish his own crown, the fox kit giving a small wave when he sees Sonic looking his way. It has the demigod waving back, the smile still in place even though his insides ache. Sonic loves Tails, adores him and is more than happy to play the role of Big Brother to him, but doing so has always left a bitter taste in the back of his mouth. Every time he hears the term brother, he cannot help but think back to his younger years, think of him.
"Brooding doesn't suit you Blue, better leave that for Shadow." He starts from his thoughts, looking up at Rouge who hovers beside him.
"I wasn't brooding." He answers to which she rolls her eyes.
"Fine, thinking too hard then." She counters and he can't help but huff in amusement. She eyes him for a moment, considering. "Penny for your thoughts?"
Sonic eyes her right back, knowing he could never tell her the truth. "Just thinking of the past." Is all he reveals.
"Might want to be careful with that." Rouge smiles. Sonic quirks an eye at her, curious and urging her to elaborate. "If you spend too long looking back, you'll never see what lies ahead."
They are wise words that he doesn't hear often from mortals who have such little time on the planet. Most only learn wisdom at the very end of their life and thus try desperately to pass on what they have learned to a younger generation that doesn't wish to listen. Rouge's words wash over him, settle on his being, remind him why it doesn't do well to dwell on dreams and the what if's of life.
"I'll keep that in mind." He smiles back at her. She winks, taking flight back over to where the group has condensed into one, all of them smiling and laughing, even Shadow has a small smile tugging at his lips. They all deserve it, Eggman had gone silent about two weeks ago so they were all just enjoying the peace and quiet, taking the time to just relax and have fun. Sonic knows it cannot last, knows he should probably go and try to see what the human is up too, but he longs to just be surrounded by his friends for a little longer, to breathe in their energy and life that he helped to create. He knows its foolish and something a being of his age shouldn't be doing, but he is a foolish being at heart and slightly selfish in wanting to relax and do nothing. But how much could one day off hurt?
There were temples all across Mobius, most dedicated to either Chaos or Gia or both the Gods who had made the world. Few temples depicted their two children and the few that did mainly only showed the spirit of Light and Air, Era. But there was one temple, hidden deep within the jungles that was completely dedicated to the spirit of Fire and Earth, of Death. The culture that had built the temple has long vanished, all but erased from history. Other tribes had despised them for their worship of the spirit of Death and had thus gone to war with them, eradicating them from the planet. But the temple remained and Eggman hoped it would hold the answers to finally conquering the world.
The outside of the temple was crumbling and worn, large pieces having already fallen away as nature slowly reclaimed the structure as her own. The doctor took a moment to marvel at the ancient tribe's craftsmanship, appreciating the tall spiels and large archways that led into the temple itself. Inside, murals covered the walls, showcasing the creation of the Universe, the way Chaos, Gia, Ishum and Era helped to bring the planet to life. But the further Eggman walked into the temple, the darker the images became. They told the story of the first Death, of Ishum's descent into madness and finally his imprisonment at the hands of his parents, locked away within the earth's crust where he could do no more harm. This final image heralded the doctor's arrival into the chamber that sat at the temple's heart.
The ceiling was high and arched, covered in detailed carvings and runes. Pillers rose from the ground to form a circle with old torch holders placed near their base. And at the centre of this room sat a pedestal where a glowing gemstone sat. Eggman felt his eyes widen in shock and awe at the sight of the jewel that kept shifting from a bruning red to a fiery orange. It looked nothing like a Chaos Emerald with its smooth oval shape as well as the shifting colours. Still, the human scientist could feel the raw power leaking from the stone much like a Chaos Emerald and that knowledge filled him with greed. With careful steps, he inched his way towards the pedestal, eyes looking to the runes inscribed onto it.
The language was old and even the genius that he was, Eggman struggled to understand what was written. Lips thinning into a frustrated line, the man squinted at the markings, desperate to see if they warned of any hidden traps that may have been made to protect the jewel.
The key to Ishum's power
It was the best he could make out from the runes before him with the limited knowledge that there was on ancient Mobian text. The words had him swelling with excitement, mind already thinking of ways he could use the stone to power his machines and finally defeat Sonic one and for all. With only a brief moment of hesitation, Eggman reached out to the stone, gloved fingers gently ghosting over the smooth glass-like surface and humming at the soft heat the stone seemed to produce. When no traps activated at his touch, the doctor finally closed his fingers around the jewel and lifted it, grunting with effort when he found he needed to actually pull the stone from an unseen force. With one last jerk of his arm, the stone came free and Eggman smiled in triumph. This was short-lived when suddenly the ground beneath his feet began to shake, walls cracking and crumbling all around him while the old torches suddenly roared to life, fire licking along the pillars.
Eggman could profess to be a fast runner but at the moment he ran as if he had the speed of his arch-nemesis. He only just made it out of the temple in time before the whole structure came tumbling down, kicking dust and earth up as it did so. Yet even with the temple destroyed the ground continued to shake and suddenly Eggman began to realize it wasn't just the temple that was shaking but the whole jungle. The panicked cries of wild animals echoed through the trees while birds took flight from their roosts. Trees were falling, rocks sliding down mountainsides, large cracks in the earth's surface opening up as lava rushed from beneath the ground upwards.
"Sir! What is happening?" The panicked call of his lacky Orbot drew Eggman from his daze, the human rushing towards his ship where the little robot and his twin Cubot were waiting.
"I don't know but we are getting out of here!" Eggman snapped, quickly taking to the skies and flying away from the temple. As he flew he felt his heart drop as he looked at the world around him. Fires were starting all across the jungle and the earthquake was still going. Suddenly, the mad scientist began to wonder if he'd made the right choice.
Sonic was laughing with his friends, Rouge having just pulled a fast one on Knuckle's who was yelling and trying to stop his muzzle from turning as red as his fur. Everyone was laughing or smiling (or smirking in Shadow's case) and Sonic was enjoying the peace when he felt it, the crushing feeling of dread, fear, terror washing over him. His breath caught in his throat, body going as stiff as a statue while his eyes went wide with horror. His friends stopped what they were doing, all staring at him in concern but he couldn't see them. He could only focus on the feeling that was slowly crushing his body.
"Sonic?" That was Tails, his adopted little brother, blue eyes wide with fright and fear for him. Sonic looked up, went to take a step forward when suddenly the ground began to shake violently. Everyone screamed, tumbling to the floor and looking about in panic as trees began to topple all around them. Sonic felt his insides freeze in shock as he felt the surge of power rushing across the planet, the wild anger and hate seeping into the land, a power and feeling he hadn't felt for thousands of years.
"Ishum."
It may have been centuries since he'd last felt the call of his twin but he would always recognize it. He could feel his brother's power ripping free from its prison, cracking the earth itself in the process and causing global devastation. Mixed with the violent force that was Ishum, Sonic could feel the panic and terror that belong to Chaos and Gia, his parents, Ishum's parents.
"What's happening?!" Sonic turns, chest tightening when he sees his friends huddled on the ground, eyes filled with confused fright. The one who had called out had been Blaze, a being so similar to his beloved twin in power yet so very different.
"Something's wrong! The planets Chaos Energy is in disarray." Knuckles snaps in both anger and fear. The Guardian of the Master and Emerald could feel the waves of negative energy leaking from the earth's surface but was clueless about why it was happening. A scream rented the air as the ground under them broke apart creating a deep chasm. Knuckles dug his fists into the ground to keep himself from falling while Rouge, Tails and Silver used either their abilities or limbs to stay airborne. Cream flapped her ears, grabbing hold of Amy's hand as she did so while Sonic quickly jumped to safety. He halted when he heard Rouge's terrified scream of Shadow's name. He swung round, heart freezing in his chest as he watched the ebony male fall as without a Chaos Emerald he could not use Chaos Control.
It's a brief moment in time, a meer blink for a celestial being like Sonic who has lived for thousands of years and will live for thousands more. But in that moment, Sonic felt every bit as mortal as his friends, felt something inside him scream and lurch with fear. All rational thoughts leave his mind, warnings to keep his true status hidden, his abilities secret become nothing more than a passing dream. Without a moment's hesitation, he is leaping into the chasm after his rival, ignoring the horrified cries of his friends, only focusing on the shock filled ruby eyes.
The wind is screaming past them both, Shadow feeling terror at its sound while Sonic feels his soul and being sing along with it. He reaches out, grabs hold of the ebony male's hand and rolls his shoulders forward in a fluid motion. Shadow would have screamed had he had any air left in his lungs when, right before his eyes, two massive white wings trimmed with sky blue suddenly extend from Sonic's back. They snap out to the sides, halting their decent before they begin to move in elegant strokes that quickly propel them skyward. The dark walls of the chasm rush past before open sky greets them, Sonic surging upwards for a moment before levelling out their flight, wings spread to allow him to glide slowly and safely back towards solid ground that is no longer shaking or breaking apart.
Shadow hates that his legs give out under him when he is set on the ground, hates how his heart hammers away in his chest. But for now, it pales in comparison to the shock he and everyone else feels as they watch Sonic land, his massive wings tucking neatly behind him with the long primaries gently floating along the ground with how long they are. He stands there, eyes reserved and guarded, posture stiff and wary while the wings ruffle and twitch behind him.
"What the hell?" It's Knuckle's who speaks up first causing Sonic to shift ever so slightly.
"I know you all have questions and I promise I will answer them. But first, we need to get somewhere safe, preferably Angel Island." Sonic muttered uncomfortably.
"Why Angel Island? Why not back at the workshop?" Tails questions, taking the reveal of his brother possession wings surprisingly well.
"Because it's the only safe place left on the whole planet," Sonic spoke with conviction, face pained and worried.
"But the Earthquake is over." Silver points out only to have the winged hedgehog shake his head.
"No, this is just the beginning." Green eyes turn to Knuckles, pinning the echidna under their stare and urging him to understand. "Ishum has awoken."
The others only frown in confusion while Knuckles turns white under his fur, breath catching in his throat. He nods once, signalling his understanding before pulling out a Chaos Emerald, the white one, from his quills. "Everyone, come in close, I'm going to take us right away."
"Knuckles?" Rouge looks at him, worried and confused, mind racing and trying to understand all that is happening.
"We'll explain when we get there," Sonic assures softly, standing beside them all and thus allowing them to stare in awe at the white and blue wings. He side-eyes them, briefly focusing on the orb that is Tikal that trembles and flickers with worry. He understands her fear well, knows that this day has been long coming. He fears that he may not be ready for what now lies ahead.
